John Cena's 380 day title reign.

[Freddy4190]

On September 17, 2006, John Cena beat Edge in a TLC chair match at Unforgiven 2006 to win the WWE Championship. From there on he held the title for 380 days, beating damn near everyone who stepped in front of him. Why do you think John Cena was the guy they chose to hold the title for so long? Was there not another contender? I know a lot of people look down on Cena and pretty much hated WWE for doing this. I thought it was pretty cool, it cemented Cena as a damn good performer, and a damn good champion. He worked with such a wide variety of people in that year plus. He managed to have good matches with Umaga, Khali, Randy Orton, Kevin Federline, and that excellent feud with him and HBK, even defeating Mr. Wrestlemania at the said event. He eventually vacated the title, having torn his pectoral muscle. Do you think it was a mistake for the WWE to let Cena hold the belt for so long? What are your opinions on the whole thing?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It was the last great title reign in my opinion. It made Cena haters stand up and take notice, unfortunately Cena fans still think he's capable of producing the the same quality now based on that title run. Cena has gone backwards since that title reign. The main problem is that he worked from almost the entire roster. Even if he didn't have a PPV feud with somebody he still beat them on TV.

 

[The Holy One]

I was actually a fan of this reign. I can't think of a title reign that has been better since then. This reign was the one that establish Cena one of it's top and most counted on performers along with being the face of the WWE as he already was. He put on some good to great matches with the likes of Umaga, Lashley, Khali, HBK, Edge, and Orton. His fued with HBK is considered one of his greatest. I think it was the right thing to do b/c at the time, Cena was the best thing going for the WWE and I can't think of a better man to have held the title during that period than maybe HBK.

 

[P.K]

That was the only reign which was really a reign.

Every time you take a look at WWE title , no matter who's holding it , it reminds you John Cena.

I think we can call it Reign of the Decade , not only because it lasted so long , but also because It involved a lot of great matches like , Cena/Umaga , HBK , Orton and Fatal 4-way at Baclash.

It's a pitty that it didn't ended in match.Damn you Anderson!

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

John Cena’s title reign was a well built up, well executed and above all well preformed reign. Cena took on everyone & was victorious. Cena beat all that there was to beat. He went through various wrestlers time & time again and always survived. He wasn't built up to be completely indestructible (see his matches with Umaga & Khali, plus his loss to Shawn Michaels in London) but whenever 'The Lights Were on Bright' as JBL would say, he survived and retained that championship. He made people take notice that HE was the MAN. He was this generations Hogan, this generation's Steve Austin. He was the face of the company, and he was here to stay, and he did.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

That reign made Cena what he is today: The Face Of The Company. He overcame some big obstacles during the reign to show that he's the top dog, you probably could call it the reign of the decade.The reign made the haters hate him more and the lovers love him more. Can I just say something that I say alot; I AM NOT A CENA MARK. I just don't think he deserves the hate he gets.

 

[goodlay]

Im fine with the occasional long title run. It was definitely too damn long, but it was a good reign. He had some great matches, and WWE put him into some solid programs/feuds. His original program with Orton in 07 was just gold. The booking was logical, and it made him into what he is today. While I still think 380 days is way too fucking long because this isn't the 80's anymore, it was still an impressive title run, and I enjoyed it.

 

[Furyof5]

I was a big fan of John Cena's long run, and as Jake said I concur that it was "the last great title run".

Cena was at his peak of popularity(doesnt seem that way but look at the ratings), and he was one hell of a champion. His long reign reminded me of the reigns of old. I was actually sad to see it end the way it did, and think that if he hadnt gotten injured it should have(not that it would have) gone on even longer.

The IWC and Smarks had their panties in a twist the whole time as everyone on this board from the time fully well knows. The constant threads of "Cena only knowz 5z movez" and overall Cena bashing were no more than idiotic, but on top of that the boos he received from the crowds were even worse. They booed for what seemed like 6 months straight, and it pisses me off because they sure as hell wouldnt do that to Austin.

As great as Austin was a think that he is to blame, or at least WWE is to blame for the shape of todays wrestling fans. Unless you are this "kick everyones ass, take no shit, trust no one" kind of "face" you get boos, no matter if you use the formula that has worked since the Golden Era or not. This is why Orton is so over, because it seems you have to be a carbon copy(or in his case a very weak copy) of Austin to get over with everyone, and the man most certainly was less technically sound than that of Cena in his big run.

But yes, I though Cena's run was excellent, and I think he should have another big long run, because thats really what I feel we need right now.

 

[LongLiveTheStreak]

At the time I did not like seeing John Cena with the WWE title for over a year. But looking back on it now I respect it and it is something WWE needs. Seeing as how that was the last great title reign. Some have had solid reigns as world champ since, but no great title reigns the likes of which Cena or JBL had.

I think WWE needs a long title reign like this again, but I dont think it should be Cena. Personally I think Kane should hold his World Heavyweight Title for a while.

 

[Da Prophet]

Well the title run itself is so impressive because of it's length. But I have trouble believing this to be as great as it is said to be. First John Cena wins the title at Unforgiven by winning a TLC match. A match that did not finish via submission or pinfall. Yes this match was made famous by Edge but John Cena didn't pin him on that night. But we can't take that victory away from him, Edge put that match forward and lost, so I really can't bag on Cena for the way he won the title.

After this I believe it went to a steel cage match between the two. Which ended with DX getting involved and John Cena getting the victory. I do think Edge was trying to escape by going out the door. Shawn kick Murdoch in the face and him falling knocked the door shut. So John Cena gets a "dirty" win here and keeps his title run alive.

Now don't quote me here, but I do believe this was the last time John Cena defended the WWE Championship in 2006. If he did defend it then please do correct me. But if I'm right that means for around 3 months he went without a title defence. In this era, the WWE Champion can't get away with missing a PPV.

Ok so I'm going to close up here, after 2006 was finished he went toe to toe with giants/monsters. He won at New Years Revolution with a roll up, he won at the Royal Rumble be using the ring ropes to choke Umaga around the neck. Then at Backlash he fell, let me say that again......fell on Orton. Thats how he won, he fell onto Orton after a superkick. At Judgement Day Khali had his foot under the rope and the ref never saw it.

So what are my views on the title run, it was great to have a long run. It was a great choice to have Cena do it, being a fan favourite and a huge money maker. But what happened during the title run, the long time spent not defending it, the dusty finishes to match's. I look at this title run a luck, Cena could have lost the title at any moment during this but lady luck was on his side.